The Master of Science in Genetic Counseling program will prepare you to work with patients and families who are learning about and coping with the risk genetic disease may have for themselves and their relatives. These include medical and emotional needs that affect their healthcare and their daily lives. You will be able to promote informed choices and adaptation to a genetic risk or genetic diagnosis. The UAB Genetic Counseling Program combines scientific and clinical education to prepare you for the evolving field of genetic counseling and to work with a variety of patients.

#IAmaGeneticCounselor

On Thursday, November 9, 2017, we celebrated National Genetic Counselor Awareness Day. In honor of the first-ever event, we shared videos from our alumni, faculty and clinicians talking about why they love being a Genetic Counselor - click here to see all our videos. We hope you will watch, enjoy and share our videos. You can also join the national conversation on social media using #IAmaGeneticCounselor.

All applications to the Genetic Counseling Program are done online through the UAB Graduate School. Please select this link for additional information concerning the specific admissions requirements for the Genetic Counseling program as well to the UAB Graduate School.

The UAB Genetic Counseling program has incorporated a unique curriculum designed to prepare students to be competitive and successful genetic counselors. In addition to core classes designed to teach genetic counseling skills and medical genetics, our curriculum includes unique opportunities to learn phlebotomy skills, Spanish for medical professionals, research and laboratory genetic counseling skills, and much more. Our students all complete a plan II project where they are able to design and implement a project of interest and contribute to the field. Our setting is also designed with access to many facilities at UAB, including options for on-site and off-site rotation sites and laboratory experiences.

Curious? Want to know more about the UAB Genetic Counseling Program? You might find the answers you're looking for in our "Frequently Asked Questions." If you do have a question not listed here, please email it to: askcds@uab.edu

UAB genetic counseling students have the opportunity to train in a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional clinical settings. All clinics are supervised by a board certified genetic counselor and/or geneticist. Clinical opportunities include the core areas of genetic counseling (pediatric, prenatal, cancer, and adult) as well as a multitude of specialty and multidisciplinary clinics (cleft clinic, muscular dystrophy clinic, neurofibromatosis clinic, and more).

The strength of our program is a direct reflection of the quality of our students and alumni. They make a difference in the world. Please explore this site and see some of the projects our students are working on, as well as where our alumni are working.

Our faculty create a culture of innovation and collaboration that embraces social responsibility and entrepreneurial principles. UAB faculty are teachers, scholars, researchers, clinicians and entrepreneurs who earn the highest honors in their fields, lead professional societies and provide exceptional mentoring and training.

The purpose of program evaluation is to systematically study, investigate and appraise the effectiveness of the Genetic Counseling Program in order to ensure that the program continues to provide a signature educational program that produces graduates who are prepared to be leaders in their field.

The UAB genetic counselling program is designed to lead to professional certification through the American Board of Genetic Counseling, Inc (ABGC). While there is a national certification exam offered by ABGC, board certification does not confer state licensure. Specific licensure requirements vary from state to state. UAB is working to develop an online, publicly-accessible database to assist in providing this state-by-state information. In the meantime, if you are interested in learning about potential professional licensure requirements in your state for a specific degree program, please contact UAB State Authorization at stateauth@uab.edu, or call eLearning and Professional Learning S staff at (205) 934-3258.